


I Should Be Happy

by faithinthepoor



Series: Glee [10]
Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-16
Updated: 2013-01-16
Packaged: 2017-11-25 17:44:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/641377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithinthepoor/pseuds/faithinthepoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during Home</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Should Be Happy

**Author's Note:**

> In my series this follows [I’m Not That Girl](http://archiveofourown.org/works/640810), [It Sucks to be Me](http://archiveofourown.org/works/640836), [Kiss Me Goodbye](http://archiveofourown.org/works/640850), [We All Have Sorrow](http://archiveofourown.org/works/640862), [I’m Not Myself Lately](http://archiveofourown.org/works/640884), [I Ain’t the Worst You’ve Ever Seen](http://archiveofourown.org/works/640900), [I Know That I’ve Got Issues](http://archiveofourown.org/works/640908), [You’ll Never See What You’ve Done to Me](http://archiveofourown.org/works/641365) and [Everyone Must Stand Alone](http://archiveofourown.org/works/641370)

As days go this has been one of her better ones. Actually it’s probably the best day she has had in quite some time. While she has had some amazing moments with the Glee Club they were never her moments, she was little more than a member of the support crew. If she equates those performances to the world of cheerleading she’s a long way from the head Cheerio. She’s not even sure she would be on the team. It’s not a comparison she wants to dwell on lest she realises that she is the New Directions version of the wannabe jumping around in the mascot costume. 

She may not have been the star performer today but she does feel that she was instrumental in the production. Ok so she didn’t exactly direct Mercedes but she likes to think it was her prompting that led Mercedes to do something significant. That’s the other thing that’s different about today – she feels like she was part of something of consequence. It definitely made her feel good to have inspired Mercedes but she’s not about to start a career as a motivational speaker. She knows that Christina Aguilera themed moment of empowerment won’t last. Jocks and geeks may have stood together today but by tomorrow the lines in the sand will have been redrawn and they will return to their natural state as life-long enemies.

Today’s achievement was not rewarded with a trophy or an overly large bouquet of flowers but Mercedes did give her a hug of thanks when she wasn’t busy exchanging finger snaps and head flicks with Kurt. She may not have been showered with gratitude but it is without a doubt the most heartfelt accolade that she has ever received. She feels lighter, quite an achievement in her present state, and the whole world seems brighter. The feeling lasts right up until Rachel hisses, “Come with me,” into Quinn’s ear and drags her from the gym.

Rachel glances over her shoulder to make sure that they are not being followed and Quinn feels like she is in a bad spy movie. Even if their exit was noteworthy, everyone is too distracted by the commotion of the unorthodox Cheerios’ performance to be paying attention to them. The unnecessary getaway ends when Rachel pulls them into a deserted classroom and closes the door.

“Are you sure that you can bear to be parted from Jesse?” Quinn is finding the new, not so it, couple’s constant public displays of affection nausea inducing.

Rachel ignores Quinn’s jibe and also appears to have forgotten the urgency of the flight from the student body as she is now calm, almost distant. “So I take it you are all about Mercedes now. That didn’t take you very long.”

“That’s ridiculous. How can you even think that?”

“You were the first person to put their hand up in support and to go and sing with her and I saw the hug of thanks she gave you. You had something to do with what happened today.”

“Even if I did I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”

“Why did you do that for her?” the words ‘and not me’ go unspoken.

“I didn’t do it for her. I just tried to get her to see that starving herself for popularity was a bad thing.”

“So you did it to help her? When did you become a do-gooder?”

“I am a Christian.”

“So only Christians do good things?” Rachel’s words are like acid.

“That’s not what I meant and I don’t have to defend any of this to you.”

“It’s just that it’s not like you to go out of your way to help the less fortunate.”

“That doesn’t mean that I can’t do good things.”

“So that’s your new role now, you are everyone’s Good Samaritan?” 

She has no idea how to answer that. How the hell does anyone know that they are good? Maybe they don’t. Maybe they aren’t. Maybe all apparent arts of ultraism are driven by selfish primal urges. What she did for Mercedes was a good thing but how can she know that she did it for good reasons? It will have a positive impact on Mercedes’ health and self-esteem but it also serves as a slap in the face to Sue Sylvester and those two things can’t be distilled. There is no pure essence; no way to know that she would do one without the other. She summarises her thought processes for Rachel’s benefit and replies, “Maybe.”

“Why did you do it for her?”

“And not you?” this time Quinn says the words for her.

“Yeah,” Rachel is unable to look her in the eyes.

“Have you thought that maybe the reason that I could do that for her is because I _don’t_ like her?”

“Helping someone to have a huge moment in the spotlight is something that you only do for someone you like.”

Quinn sighs in frustration, “I thought that we’d established that I am not all that nice to the people I like.”

“Which essentially means that you like almost everyone on the planet.”

“That’s just your novice eyes talking. There are subtle but distinct differences in the way I mistreat the ones I like.”

“Maybe they are too subtle for an outsider, or a human, to notice.”

“Maybe. I’ll find a human to ask and get back to you on that one.”

“Very funny. Remind me to laugh later.”

“I didn’t drag you in here and I have no idea why we are having this conversation when clearly you have already made up your mind about my motives.” The brightness that threatened to blind her earlier has faded to a very dull glow – at this point you’d be lucky to spot it with the aid of night vision goggles.

“I’m sorry. I guess I just wanted to tell you that it wasn’t easy for me to watch.”

“Well it’s not all that easy for me to watch Jesse be wrapped around you like an octopus.”

A genuine smile appears on Rachel’s face, “You’re jealous.”

“How can you be so clueless? Of course I’m jealous.”

“And your stunt with Mercedes had nothing to do with that?”

“I honestly don’t know.” She will now have to add that to the list of potential motives for actions. Her day just keeps getting better and better.

“I guess I was jealous too,” Rachel gives her a shy smirk. “I thought you might have turned to Mercedes to get back at me.”

“Unlikely,” she stops short of giving Rachel a lecture on how she’s not going to let another Glee Club member mess with her mind and turn her world upside-down. She also fails to tell Rachel that she is far too smitten to look at someone else even if she wanted to.

“Good.”

“So are we good now?”

“I’m not sure that we are ever good.”

“Probably not.”

“So what now?”

“We go back and join in the side-show spectacle going on in the gym before we are missed.”

“I guess,” Rachel doesn’t look convinced.

“Unless you have a better idea.”

Rachel seems to be contemplating something before she answers. In Quinn’s mind this something involves finding the nearest room with a lock on the door and making out until their lips hurt. If that thought ever passed through Rachel’s mind she clearly dismissed it as what she says is, “I guess not.”

Quinn struggles to get herself down off the desk she is perched on and Rachel comes to her assistance. The simple act of Rachel’s hands touching the skin on her arms sends shockwaves through her body. The fact that Rachel then decides to keep hold of her hand does nothing to extinguish those shock waves. “I promise never to deliberately give anyone but you a moment of stardom.”

“Good,” the brunette looks ecstatic and the fingers around Quinn’s hand grip a bit tighter. Quinn would not have been surprised if Rachel skipped all the way back to the gym but they walk slowly and there is not even a swing of arms. As they approach their destination Quinn feels her body tense as she doesn’t want to have to hurt Rachel by letting go of her hand. Rachel rescues from the dilemma, releasing her grasp at the door. To her surprise Quinn feels bereft and she reaches over to relink their fingers. They enter the gym as a unit causing Rachel to shoot her a look of adoration that is far more important than anything else that has happened today. Maybe her actions of late have been pure because nothing done with nefarious intent could ever be rewarded with something so special.


End file.
